Search this site

After a wild and hectic weekend in Nashville that saw Marcus Ericcson launch himself into the air and still finish atop the podium, the NTT IndyCar Series heads to the familiar confines of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third time as this race replaces the cancelled Grand Prix of Toronto from earlier this year. This race marks five races to go in the 2021 season as the season is quickly winding down to a championship showdown in Long Beach. Scott Dixon's consistent finishes over the last couple of weeks have allowed him to take second place in the championship standings, still racing his Chip Ganassi teammate of Alex Palou. This weekend also marks a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon Track Facts: The current layout of the Grand Prix is a fourteen turn, 2.439 mile road course, inside the confines of the oval layout with nine right and five left-hand turns. The course runs counterclockwise as the 24 car field heads down into turn one, which is the direction of oval turn four. Turn one is a sharp 90 degree right-hand turn that quickly shoots back into the quick left-hander for turn two and enters a sweeping right-hand turn three which leads to another right of turn four. Before heading onto the backstretch known as Hulman Blvd, there is a quick chicane of turns five and six. After going down the back, drivers approach a sharp left-hand turn that will be used as another passing opportunity. Going into quick left and right turns of turns eight, nine, and ten. Coming off of ten, drivers head through turn eleven which leads back onto the oval for another passing opportunity of turn twelve. This section of track has been repurposed for IndyCar/NASCAR use, as it was originally used for Moto GP. Another left-hand turn leads into the final turn, which leads back onto the front stretch. Championship Standings: Over the past couple of weeks, Alex Palou has been very consistent in his finishes which allowed him to stay a top the championship leaderboard since the Detroit Grand Prix. But six-time champion Scott Dixon has been slowly gaining ground on his teammate of Palou. Which is not surprising since this is how Dixon has operated in his championship formula. Expect solid finishes from both to close out the final stretch of the season as they will both only be separated by a few positions on track. 2020 Event: Paired with the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the same day. The GMR Grand Prix was dominated by the eventual 2020 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon. Even though Graham Rahal played the strategy game and made it a two-stop race compared to Dixon's three. By using a softer compound tire, Dixon passed Rahal and pulled away to a 19 second lead by the conclusion of the race. Event Predictions: As stated previously, the championship hunt is heating up between Palou, Dixon, and O'Ward. With those three being closely watched throughout the race, there is a driver making his IndyCar debut with Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing. Christian Lungaard, the rising star in F2 overseas did a test with the team at Barber Motorsports Park earlier this year. He will be the forty second driver to make an appearance this year in the series. But don't forget Romain Grosjean, who scored his first IndyCar podium in his career during the GMR Grand Prix earlier this year. Hopefully learning the lessons to get off the black compound tires earlier in the stint, which probably caused Rinus Veekay to score the win earlier this year. In my opinion, Scott Dixon wins the Indy GP and gets closer to Palou in the closing stretch of the season. You can watch the Indianapolis Grand Prix Saturday at 12:30 P.M. Est on NBC Sports Network. Be sure to check back with RacingRefresh.com throughout the rest of the IndyCar season.

NASCAR 21: Ignition's announcement was a long-awaited day for fans of NASCAR gaming. The first bits of information have been given about what features will be included in the new installment of NASCAR games. Previously, Motorsport Games announced that the game will include a paint booth. However, many more features and bonuses have been revealed along with the announcement trailer. Here's a rundown of all the notable features and updates to NASCAR 21: Cup Series Only NASCAR 21: Ignition is taking a step back in terms of the amount of series they showcase. George Holmquist of Motorsport Games stated that the decision to only include the Cup series was so that the team could focus on making the game "... as close to perfect as it can be." While the lack of feeder series might mean a temporary rebound for features such as career mode, Motorsport Games is taking the necessary steps to make the foundation of this series as strong as it can be. This next era of gaming for NASCAR is something that fans and developers alike want to be great, and that starts at the core. Updated Physics While Motorsport Games has not revealed what the gameplay will look like from a player's perspective, the announcement trailer did showcase the game in action. Early indications show a much-improved physics model from previous installments. The trailer showcased multiple tracks with the new game engine. The cars appeared to have smoother movements on the track. Wrecks and collisions have a more realistic look. The physics of a game are the foundation of it. Luckily, it looks like fans will have a fun experience with the physics on Ignition. Pre-Order Bonuses Every game has its fair share of bonuses that players can earn by pre-ordering it. NASCAR 21: Ignition has two different versions that players can pre-order. For pre-ordering the standard edition, players will get the game on October 26, two days before the game releases to the public. However, Motorsport Games has also announced the "Champions Edition" for NASCAR 21. Those who pre-order this edition will get 1988 NASCAR Cup champion, Bill Elliott, as a playable character. In addition, players will get the season pass and three more legends to use in later DLC packs. These announcements are just the beginning for NASCAR 21: Ignition. The future looks bright for NASCAR games. Hopefully, even more information about Ignition will be revealed in the coming weeks. Pre-orders begin tomorrow and players will be able to purchase the game October 28th.

The next generation of NASCAR games is finally here. Motorsport Games announced the newest installment of the NASCAR gaming franchise. NASCAR 21: Ignition will be released on October 28, 2021. Motorsport Games released a trailer for the game showcasing the new graphics and physics of the game. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace will grace the cover of the new NASCAR game. There is a Champions Edition of the game featuring 1988 NASCAR Cup Champion, Bill Elliott. The game will be available for preorder on August 12th.

I remember listening to him in old video games and auto races of the 1990s. His voice flowed like the legs of a crimson red wine, and his vocabulary was as large as William Shakespeare. Bob Jenkins was a man that I wanted to be like. He had a genuine passion for the history of American motorsports. It was reported this evening that Jenkins passed away at the age of 73. We had Bob scheduled to be interviewed on an upcoming episode of Racing Refresh not long ago. In January he and I chatted for some time as we prepped for our planned discussion on air. He was so amused that a young fan was interested in covering his career. It was an unfortunate illness that sidelined our next time together. He touched base with us shortly thereafter and emphasized that he would need to cancel. He knew at this time what we all know. He was dying of cancer. Motorsports tributes rained with Bob Jenkins name throughout the night tonight. Another guest from our show, and motorsports analyst Bob Varsha provided this comment to us. "Bob was a humble man with a great talent, and an even greater dignity. His voice was the soundtrack for multiple generations of fans. " His words were consistent with how others had described him. Bob Jenkins considered himself an Indianapolis 500 fan who got lucky. Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans consider themselves lucky to have Bob's voice ringing through the grandstands for decades. While his voice on race day will be missed, his legacy at IMS will last forever. pic.twitter.com/loA5JtHFbd — Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) August 9, 2021 While I never had the opportunity to formally interview Bob, I did adore his career and was fortunate like thousands of others to share a wonderful moment with him. My father and I attended the Fast Friday events in Indianapolis in 2013. We had some pit passes and his employer shared a VIP suite for the occasion. We were advised by a gentleman at the security desk on the main level to take the elevator to such and such floor and we would be good to go. We took the elevator up and the doors opened. This was the wrong floor. Directly in front of us was the Team Penske private party. This room wasn't for us, obviously. We would have just taken the elevator back down, but I couldn't help but hear a special voice that sounded way too familiar. It was Bob Jenkins. He was speaking with a journalist and they stepped into our elevator. We took the elevator back to ground level and I was able to chime in that he and Benny Parsons were my favorite announcers ever. He took a photo with me and told me how kind that was. His reaction to my compliment was as genuine as my excitement to meet him. Bob was kind and genuinely appreciated compliments like this from friends, fans, and the media. He was beyond humbled by the way fans felt about his hard work. I will never forget that day. Bob shared with the world that he was ill this past spring. He never lost his spirit. "All I want to be remembered as is a race fan who got a job in radio or TV. And for some reason, people liked me." Bob told the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ironically, he passes away the week that the Indycar and NASCAR racing leagues return to the venue he once graced. As the green, white, and checkered flags wave this weekend, there will be a special energy in Speedway Indiana.

https://twitter.com/race_scene/status/1425464606516994057?s=20 Kyle Larson notched his fifth win of the season and second road course win of his career on Sunday, August 8th. A consistently strong car all day long kept him in contention despite what seemed to be a lot of tough competition contending for the win. It was Larson who wound up on top and made it into victory lane. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano made up the front row for the drop of the green flag; the two battled each other for the lead with Keselowski in front until lap 10. Logano closed up to his bumper and Keselowski spun in turn six losing five spots coming to the competition caution. As laps winded down in stage one, the battle between Logano and Larson intensified with Logano having radio troubles and unable to relay information about the car to his team. Strategy calls would begin to take place as guys like Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney and Matt Dibenedetto and Ross Chastain would pit entering three laps to go. Keselowski would continue to have brake issues as he almost spins around in turn one in the final lap of the stage as his teammate Logano would hold off Larson for the stage victory. Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Martin Truex Jr would lead the field to the stage two restart. With Truex Jr and Chase Briscoe leading the way, the caution would come out for what would appear to be a spin for Ryan Blaney coming out of the 'bus stop' portion of the race track but it was out because of the 51 of James Davidson who had stopped on the track. The field restarted with 14 laps to go in stage two as Briscoe looks to spin his tires and holds up the field giving up second and third place to Harvick and Christopher Bell. Bell would take over second position from Harvick but it would be too little too late with a three second lead, Martin Truex Jr would win stage two. Truex and Bell restarted on the front row for the final stage, under 45 laps to go, the battle for the lead heats up between the 19 of Truex Jr, 20 of Bell and the 5 of Larson. Erik Jones would go around in the Carousel, no caution as he would continue on course. with 35 laps to go, a blanket over the top three as Larson dives into turn one and locking up the right front tire and making contact and spinning Bell around and still no caution. as potential final green flag pit stops would start, team Penske would continue to struggle as Keselowski would have more braking issues and spinning into his teammate Logano. As green flag pit stops cycled through, at the end of the day, Kyle Larson would come out on top as the winner of the Go Bowling at the Glen with teammate Chase Elliott finishing in second. This win would tie Larson with Denny Hamlin for the regular season points lead. The Go Bowling at the Glen top 5: 1. Kyle Larson 2. Chase Elliott 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Kyle Busch 5. Denny Hamlin The Go Bowling at the Glen Notables: 7. Christopher Bell 9. Chase Briscoe 10. Tyler Reddick 12. Ross Chastain Written By: Matt Marr

(Getty Images) NASCAR Wire Service Race leader Austin Hill was declared the winner of Saturday’s United Rentals 176 at the famed Watkins Glen International road course after lightning in the immediate area forced the field to stop on pit road 11 laps from the scheduled race finish. Hill had taken a 1.023-second lead over John Hunter Nemechek before the trucks headed to pit road where they waited under red flag conditions for nearly an hour before the race was officially called. The race marked the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season finale, officially setting the 10-driver 2021 Playoff field. And while there were no impactful moves in the standings as far as Playoff eligibility, it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying in the truck series’ first race at the 2.45-mile vintage road course in 21 years. Hill, who had previously only led two laps in his career on road courses, led a race best 36 of the 61 laps in the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota to take his second win of the season – and second straight after claiming the trophy in the previous race, July 9 on the Knoxville, Iowa dirt track. “It was nerve-wracking that’s for sure, I didn’t know if we were going to go back to green or not,” said Hill, 27, of Winston, Ga. “It feels so good to win on a road course. “I was really biting my nails a little bit when that rain came, I didn’t know what was going to happen with the lightning and all that,” he continued. “But they gave me a really great piece today and we were able to go out there and get it done. It’s really special to get a win at Watkins Glen.” Nemechek’s runner-up effort was his series-best ninth top five. His five wins in the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota are most in the series this season and a personal high mark for the 23-year old second-generation star who also receives a 15-point bonus for winning the regular season title. The victory was especially big for Hill, moving him into second place in the standings, 18 points behind Nemechek to start the Playoff run. Another two-race winner Ben Rhodes, who finished 15th on Saturday, is ranked third. The remainder of the 10-driver Playoff field includes Todd Gilliland, 2020 series champion Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, three-time series champion Matt Crafton, first-time Playoff contenders, rookies Carson Hocevar and Chandler Smith and veteran Stewart Friesen. Derek Kraus, the popular 19-year old Wisconsin driver, was officially eliminated from Playoff contention after spinning out with 19 laps remaining. Kraus had run in the Top-5 early in the race, placing third in Stage 1. He started the race ranked 11th – 40 points from the Playoff cutline line. But he and Tyler Ankrum, who started the race 12th in points, essentially needed a victory to secure that Playoff position. Ankrum finished seventh. In many ways, Saturday’s race was a Playoff preview. Gilliland won Stage 1 and Hill took the Stage 2 victory, both fending off runs by fellow championship eligible drivers. Creed, who boasts the series all-time best road course average finish (3.0), finished third. Gilliland was fourth and Parker Kligerman rounded out the Top-5 – his first top five showing of the season. The first three-race round of the 2021 Playoffs begins Aug. 20 with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Gateway 200 (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at World Wide Technology Park at Gateway. The following two races of the round are are at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 5 and then Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – United Rentals 176 at The Glen Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York Saturday, August 7, 2021 (1) Austin Hill, Toyota, 61. (6) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 61. (19) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 61. (2) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 61. (38) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 61. (8) Zane Smith, Chevrolet, 61. (10) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 61. (39) Paul Menard, Toyota, 61. (40) Sam Mayer(i), Chevrolet, 61. (9) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 61. (21) Josh Berry(i), Chevrolet, 61. (23) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 61. (15) Christian Eckes, Toyota, 61. (22) Tanner Gray, Ford, 61. (5) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 61. (20) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 61. (12) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 61. (16) Corey Heim, Toyota, 61. (18) Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 61. (17) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 61. (7) Derek Kraus, Toyota, 61. (4) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 61. (14) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 61. (36) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 61. (27) Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 61. (13) Tate Fogleman, Chevrolet, 61. (25) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 61. (11) Danny Bohn, Toyota, 61. (35) Bobby Reuse, Chevrolet, 61. (37) Roger Reuse, Ford, 60. (33) Josh Reaume, Toyota, 60. (24) Lawless Alan, Toyota, 60. (34) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 59. (31) Chad Chastain, Chevrolet, 58. (32) Taylor Gray, Ford, 53. (28) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Ford, 45. (26) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Too Slow, 40. (30) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, Transmission, 8. (29) Will Rodgers(i), Chevrolet, Transmission, 6. (3) Chandler Smith #, Toyota, 61. Average Speed of Race Winner: 87.298 mph. Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 42 Mins, 43 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds. Caution Flags: 5 for 10 laps. Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers. Lap Leaders: A. Hill 1-4;T. Gilliland 5-22;J. Wood 23;C. Hocevar # 24;Z. Smith 25-28;A. Hill 29-41;J. Nemechek 42-43;A. Hill 44-61. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Austin Hill 3 times for 35 laps; Todd Gilliland 1 time for 18 laps; Zane Smith 1 time for 4 laps; John Hunter Nemechek 1 time for 2 laps; Carson Hocevar # 1 time for 1 lap; Jack Wood 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 38,2,19,25,22,23,66,52,99,40 Stage #2 Top Ten: 16,4,23,21,2,26,42,38,99,32

Welcome to our NASCAR Cup Series Projections page. The Playoff Forecast is where you will find the probability of each 2021 charter making the playoffs, their chances of advancing to future rounds, and also their odds of winning the Championship. Projections are calculated by simulating the 2021 Cup Series schedule 50,000 times, using a top-secret predictive formula that is based on 3 important factors: Driver History @ Each Track, Driver Recent Overall History, and Team Performance. This page will be updated every week, incorporating each week’s real results to (ideally) make the formula more accurate. Keep checking back to see how your favorite driver’s odds change from week to week! *note – As 2021 is this project’s first season, some of the underlying formulas and data were tweaked after race 10 in order to better reflect the parity in the NASCAR Cup Series. Forecast – After Race 22 Projected Winner of the Go Bowling at the Glen – Watkins Glen Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @StatChat_RR Or you can email directly: acarabine@racingrefresh.com Get all your StatChat Merch from the Racing Refresh online store! Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!